Working On A Coral Plan

[gigmeyer]

I've had a 24g Nano running for over 2 months now and am working on a plan for first corals. The tank came with a SunPod 150W HQI, so I should have plenty of light to support corals, but am concerned it may be too much for some corals. In reading Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History, a statement was made the mushrooms may not do well under metal halide lighting. Not sure about other soft corals that are generally on starter lists and don't require HQI lighting.

My current tank parameters are 1.024 SG and 76-79 degree temps with a photo period of 7.5 hours. Based on reading, I plan to adjust slowly to 1.026 and 80+ degree temp in preparation for corals. Other parameters I'm hoping will be ok with 10-15% weekly water changes and suitable alkalinity for buffering purposes.

Currently, I have 3 hitchiker button polyps that have done well so far. I have seen them closing up some recently even though no nitrate problems have been detected. I'm not sure what to make of it, but am optimistic that it is not a problem. They are partially shaded on a LR at about mid-level in the tank. Possibly, they can act as my canary in a coal mine for determining when to try a coral.

My questions are as follows:

1. Which coral or corals should I consider as starter corals and when?
2. Should I test other parameters like calcium first or count on trace elements in IO water changed weekly?
3. Are the nano packages from Dr. Foster's and Smith something worth considering? They have 3 packages I saw each with about 4 small corals for $59. The packages consist of polyps, mushrooms, or a combination I believe.
4. What photo periods should I use for initial acclimation and should I increase the normal operating period to over 7.5 hours? 7.5 was a totally arbitrary choice as I didn't believe it mattered in a FOWLR tank. I think 10-12 was suggested in the book.

Any other suggestions appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[steelhealr]

Gig...I applaud your patience. Do you have fish? If not, you may consider adding them first so you know how you'll do with a bioload.

1) Good corals to start with would be some softies. Yes...mushrooms don't prefer bright lighting, but, if you have some overhangs, they can be placed nicely there. A yellow Fiji leathre might like the bright light. Sinularia might do well

2) Good starters would be open brains, anchor coral, frogspawn, an orange plate cora. I don't like xenia...can spread like a weed.

3) Ca2+, for now, and phosphate, are the only other test parameters you'll need outside of the others and s.g. Weekly water changes will replace all your other trace elements. DO NOT DOSE YOUR TANK.

4) I bought one of the packages. I would choose your corals individually. I would have avoided one or two of the softies they setn me in retrospect.

5) Corals should receive 10-12 hours of light. However, you may want to reduce this at first to reduce bleaching and shock. You may also want to put them under ledges initially and see how they do. It is sometimes trial and error....changing between substrate, high flow, medium flow, near the top of the reef or mid range.

6) Do not buy a lot of corals all at once. Do a slow acclimation.

SH

 

[gigmeyer]

Thanks Steele,

This is perfect. At this point, I have a false percula and a pajama cardinal and am about to add a sixline wrasse which will pretty much max me out. I was hoping to get a yellow clown goby too at some point, but am pushing it off indefinitely as it's too much too soon (and possibly ever). The sixline is more important to me as my understanding is it will eat some of the crustacians and pods building in the tank now. Based on aggressiveness, I know the goby should go in next if I plan to have one, but again it may never happen.

Would it be foolish to add my first coral along with the wrasse? I thought I read that it was an ok (albeit agressive) thing to do.

 

[gigmeyer]

Strike that, I read from one of your posts that there are some exceptions to the rule of one at a time for certain corals. What I haven't seen is the ability to add a fish and coral at the same time, or how long to wait between adding a fish and starting with corals. After my first fish and getting in a feeding routine, my nitrates first appeared at 2.5 ppm which I found very reasonable. After my second fish, my nitrates tested at 0 even before the next water change. That being said, I'm wondering how long to take establishing a routine before venturing into that first coral.

 

[steelhealr]

Each time you add a fish, you add ammonia, fish poop and fish food. My feeling has always been to add the fish first. If your nitrates remain low, proceed with a coral. The sixline is just a great beautiful fish. SH

 

[SkiFletch]

I'm gonna ditto the reccomendation for a yellow leather, they do very well under bright light. You might also want to consider zooanthids or palythoa as those do well under halides

 

[gigmeyer]

Thanks again. The sixline joined the crew on Saturday and is doing well. It's a great addition as he swims through the smallest crevisses in the rocks and keeps the skunk cleaner excited about the possibility of a willing subject. Makes a huge difference as Cardinals are pretty sedentary and clowns are simply goofy.

I checked the corals at the lfs and did not find a lot of good candidates from these lists. They had some red open brain corals and frogspawn, but not much else on your suggested list. They also had some cool branching hammers. These are the same as anchors, correct?

Any thoughts on how long to wait from here now that the fish are in? My routine is to change the water on Saturday mornings and venture out after that to the lfs if there have been no problems during the week and parameters look ok. I still haven't bumped the temp yet as things have been going too well to risk change. I plan to tweak it this week after the HQI goes off as it will presumably raise the bottom temp overnight gradually.

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, branching hammers are from the same genus as "anchora" hammers, and nearly identical species, their growth pattern is different. Euphyllia Anchora grows kind of in a wall fashion while Euphyllia Paranchora grows like a bush, splitting off and growing new distinct heads.